Lumber in My Minivan

2021, farmhouse, junking, outdoors, plant stands, recycle, repurpose

A repurposed chair becomes a unique plant stand

September 20, 2021September 20, 2021by LumberInMyMiniVan1 Comment

A few years ago, my sweet grandpa gave me this chair. He heard I was looking for an old chair and someone had given it to him.

I liked the look of the chair. It was a nice size and I thought it was a cute chair. I just wasn’t too sure about that metal woven seat. The metal was a little sharp and I was worried about my kids cutting their fingers.

So I removed it. I then painted the chair yellow.

I also used a little sandpaper to distress it a bit.

I took some old wood planks and laid them across the bottom rungs of the chair.

I love how cute and unique this chair plant stand is. Plus, if I get tired of it, I can build a new seat for it.

But, the color brightens up our porch, and we get lots of compliments on our “fern chair.”

What have you repurposed lately?

2020, fall, pumpkin, Seasonal art, seasonal decor

Make a faux pumpkin look more realistic

September 14, 2021September 14, 2021by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

I found these really cute pumpkins at Walmart this week. They’ve got a neat shape to them, but they don’t really look real. In fact, they don’t look real at all. They’ve got this weird pale yellow color that just looks….strange.

So, I picked up two of them. They are available in many sizes, but I chose two medium sized ones. I had a neat idea in mind for them and as cheap as they are, I really couldn’t pass them up.

I dragged out my chalk paint stash and immediately slathered a coat of white chalk paint on them.

If you’re new to chalk paint, you’ll need to know that everything you paint has an ugly stage. And that ugly stage is usually solved by adding a second coat. I was pretty pleased with the pumpkin after the second coat.

I think adding the white paint to the pumpkin makes it much more real-looking, don’t you?

I cannot wait to show you all what I decided to do with them… in fact, if you visit the blog on Wednesday, I’ll show you.

Have a wonderful week!

2021, Bible, Christianity, life pro tips, parenting, Personal, Scripture, Scripture Sundays, Testimony

Sunday Musings: I don’t have it all together…and that’s OK

September 11, 2021September 6, 2021by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

I don’t have it all together. Not even close.

If most of us are honest, we will admit that we don’t have it all together. In today’s Pinterest-perfect society, we are expected to be perfectly dressed with perfect makeup, not a hair out of place, with perfectly clean, magazine worthy homes. We are expected to have a home-cooked dinner on the table every night, with perfectly dressed and perfectly behaved children.

I don’t have that; at least, not all the time. And never all at once. So, who holds us to this impossibly high standard? We do. We hold ourselves to these impossibly high standards we can never meet, but luckily, God does not.

God chose us, even though we are a long way from perfect. We don’t have it all together and God chose us anyway.

Ephesians 1:4 says “For he chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him.” We don’t need to be perfect; we just need Jesus. There are no perfect humans, and there don’t need to be. Jesus already fulfilled the role of the perfect human.

It’s tempting to spend all of our time trying to be perfect and live up to those impossible standards, but instead, let’s put that energy into trying to be like Jesus. He already knows we aren’t perfect and he loves us anyway.

Have a blessed week.

2021, fall, family, five friday favorites, natural elements, North Carolina, pumpkin, seasonal, seasonal decor

Favorite Fall Fun Activities that Dont Cost You a Dime

September 6, 2021September 6, 2021by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

Fall is my favorite season. It’s not only a beautiful time of year with the changing leaves, but there are so many fun things you can do. I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you today. The best thing about all of these is that they don’t cost you a dime.

1. Enjoy a spectacular fall sunset

Do you have a porch with an amazing view? Do you have an amazing view? Then go outside, enjoy a hot cup of coffee or an iced tea, and enjoy the beautiful sunset. North Carolina truly has some amazing sunsets- I try to pause and enjoy it every so often.

2. Make a fire and roast some marshmallows

Your fire pit doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a ring of rocks will do. My kids love to make s’mores and they look forward to this every year.

3. Go hiking or trail running

My favorite running buddy and I love to hit a trail when the weather cools off. Even if you aren’t a runner, you still may enjoy taking a brisk walk on a trail. Either way, a trail walk or run doesn’t cost a thing!!

4. Check out the pretty fall foliage

The leaves burst into some beautiful colors this time of year. Take a walk or take a drive and enjoy the beauty.

5. Visit a pumpkin patch

This one may or may not cost money. If you know someone who has a pumpkin farm, you may get to choose your pumpkin for free, but local farms and pumpkin patches will likely charge admission. The good news is farms that charge admission often offer other activities, such as hayrides, corn mazes, or foods.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Five Friday Favorites!! Have a wonderful weekend.

2021, getting organized, organize, simplify, simplify saturdays, simplifying life

Getting organized: Making life easier for the start of the school year

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

Both the girls and I have started back to school for this fall. While our school year is off to a pretty good start, there are some things I think we could improve upon. For instance, we have let our organization slide just a bit and it is beginning to frustrate me.

I have always been a pretty organized person, yet lately I am focused on just how messy our fridge, closets and mudroom have become. I am spending this week trying to get back on track. I would like to share some of my best organizing tips with you all in the process.

1. Fridge organization

You can read all about this one here. Organizing your fridge doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. And you’d be shocked how much time it could save you.